Struggling With Life
by ambessa4eva
Summary: Bella lives in Florida with Renee and Phil. She struggles with depression. The cause of it? Phil abuses her. When she runs away to Charlie, how does she deal with Jacob and Edward while going through one of the biggest surprises of her life?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my new story. I've been thinking about it lately and decided to write it. Hope you like it.**

Chapter One-

Bella's POV

I had no where else to turn. I couldn't stay here and deal with all of this. But I have to...don't I? If I ever told someone or "pulled a stupid stunt" he would...he would...he couldn't, he wouldn't...would he?He would. No doubt about it. If he would take advantage of me he sure would take advantage of her, and she's much more vulnerable than I am, so easily swayed. She always has been, how else would I have coaxed her from her less intelligent ideas throughout my life. So why me? Why would he go after me without even glancing at my mother? Because she gives him what he wants. Yes, that's it. They _are_ married, and she _loves_ him, why would she ever give it a second thought? She is unknowingly his "slave" in a way, not exactly though. He doesn't mistreat her in any way, he loves her too. It would be nearly impossible for him to ever do anything to her. So that brings me back to an earlier question...would he actually do it?

I sat in my room surrounded by loneliness as I thought about all these things. I was barely paying attention to the music blasting from my headphones. I acknowledged the song and, tired of thinking, I focused on the lyrics and let myself get lost in the words to Hollywood Whore by Papa Roach. It was late, almost midnight, Sunday night. I would have to deal with school tomorrow...the school I transferred to when I had to move from Phoenix, Arizona to the wonderful, sunny state of Florida. I hate it, it's too happy here. It's a fake happy, all of it a show for the tourists, an attraction to lure people away from their everyday lives miles and miles from here. I wish I had accepted Charlie's offer to move in with him, but that would qualify as a "stupid stunt".

You know what? I want to pull the biggest stupid stunt of my life, it would be the best ting that I ever did. He would never do what he says he would, they were just hollow threats, well, except for the ones that involved only me, he never broke a promise about me, but he couldn't hurt her. I couldn't deal with another night like last night. I simply couldn't.

I grabbed the black backpack for school and emptied everything out of it and stuffed it with clothes. I saw a notebook that had been in the backpack and thought of Renee. I opened it to a random clean page and wrote a single word on it: Goodbye. I laid it on the edge of the bed and left.

**Hope you like it. Please review and tell me if you think I should continue it. It would mean a lot...especially if you want the next chapter. Anyways...thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! So I know it didn't take me long to update...but whatever. Here's the next chapter.**

Chapter Two-

Bella's POV

I was just inside of Georgia state lines, at a Waffle House near a bus station. I was slowly eating a plate of blueberry pancakes when the waitress came up to me. He name tag declared she was Becky.

"More coffee?" She asked in her deep southern accent. She had long, curly blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. I wish my eyes were like that, instead I got stuck with a poopy brown color. Becky looked to be about seven months pregnant. There was no ring on her finger.

"Yes, please." I answered, looking at the mug as she poured more of the energizing liquid in.

"Is the father excited?" I asked her, knowing it was a personal question, but not caring.

"Oh..." She paused with a warm smile. "I would think not, no father in the picture. It's just me and Andrew." She held her stomach with her free hand and smiled with delight.

"That's the baby's name?"

"Yes, Andrew was my brother's name. He's gone now...he was killed over in Iraq in the army."

I said nothing, not even an apology. I know _I'm sorry_ is the default phrase someone says for a death or anything else bad that happened to someone, but it just didn't feel right saying it.

Becky glanced at the backpack sitting next to me and loked concerned. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked.

"Do what?" Stupid question, I know.

"You can't be more than 17. I see teenagers like you in here a lot. You're runnin' away, ain't you?"

"I've got to." I told her.

"You sure? What about your family? Don't you think they'll miss you, and your friends. Everyone'll be worried sick about you. Do you really want to put them through all that?"

I looked up at her with a serious face and said "If I don't leave, I'll return to an abusive home."

"Oh my," She said, sad now, understanding almost. "Well that's no place to call a home...are you gonna be okay? Do you got a place to run to?" Why was a complete stranger so worried about me?

"Washington state. I've got a real home there with my real dad. He just doesn't know I'm coming yet..."

"Washington's a long ways from here..."

"I'll be okay." I assured her.

"You watch out for them crazies, okay?" I nodded slightly and looked down at the coffee in my hands. "You eat up, now. You got a long journey ahead of you. And don't worry about the money, it's on me."

I looked up at her, smiled and thanked her. She nodded and walked away. I finished eating and put a 20 under the coffee mug with a note scrawled on a napkin that said "_Take care of yourself and Andrew, he's got a great mother."_

I walked out of the diner and saw that my bus was boarding. I started walking towards it, when from behind me I heard the one voice I least expected.

"Where do you think you're going?" I turned around and saw Phil staring at me, anger filling his eyes, his face red from rage.

"Away from you." I replied.

"Oh, no you're not." He reached forward at me and grabbed my arms, shaking me and screaming, the whole time I was trying to wiggle free of his iron grip.

"Get the hell off of her!" Someone yelled. There was a loud _clang_ and Phil released me and grabbed the back of his head. I looked behind him and saw Becky with a frying pan in her hands.

"Run!" She screamed at me. I quickly turned and sprinted for the bus just before its doors closed. As I took my seat, I saw a crowd of men around Phil and Becky. A few were restraining Phil while another took Becky back into the diner. As the bus pulled away, I watched Phil stand completely still, glaring straight at me with the most dangerous eyes to ever exist. The men released him, though he still stood in the same spot, his eyes never leaving mine, never faltering from his angered trance.

The bus took a pit stop at dawn. I searched through my backpack for a bottle of water and remembered I had packed and found my cell phone. It was just one of those pay-as-you-go phones that I was able to afford with the money I earned from my job at the animal shelter. I had meant to leave that at the house, though I must have forgotten. I turned it on and scrolled through my contacts, trying to decide who I should call: Charlie, Jacob, or Renee. I eliminated Renee from my options, afraid of what might happen from that. But I knew I had to tell _someone_ I was coming to Forks. I picked Charlie. I had been uncertain about which house I would go to when I got there: Jacob's or Charlie's. I knew I would end up at Charlie's anyway, and that would be the first place they checked. I had to tell him to lie.

I listened to the repetitive ringing, longing for my father to answer. One ring, two rings, three rings, four rings, five rings...

"Hello?" A gruff voice answered at last.

"Dad!" I said, relieved to hear him.

"Bella?" He asked.

"Dad, I'm coming to Forks to stay with you." I told him, smiling.

"You changed your mind?" He asked, obviously excited. "When are you flying in?"

"Well...I'm not taking a plane. I'm on a bus right now...somewhere in South Carolina, I think. But here's the thing, Renee and Phil are going to call, looking for me. You _must_ tell them you haven't heard anything from me but you'll tell them immediately when you do, but you really doubt I'll be there."

"You _ran away_ from them? You want me to _lie_ and say you're not here?" He asked in disbelief.

"You _have_ to, Dad. _Please_, I'm begging you. Don't ask me why I'm running away, please."

"I don't know if I can do this, Bells."

"_Please_, Dad. I have no other option. If I don't have a safe place with you, then I have nowhere else to go. I _need _ you to do this for me, _please_."

There was a pause, then he sighed and said "Okay, fine. I don't understand why you're doing this, but I want you to be safe, and if I'm the only safe place for you, then okay."

"_Thank you_, Dad. You have no idea how much this means to me, _really_. Okay, it'll take a while for me to get there, I'm going to take some pretty crazy routes so they can't find me. When they call you, tell them you haven't heard a thing from me and there's no hope of me ever showing up there if I haven't come by now. Make up some crazy place that I probably went to, a big city far from Washington. _Thank you_. I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Bella." Be safe and get here as soon as you can."

I hung up and closed my eyes, preparing for the long roads ahead.

When I woke up, the bus was stopped at a station, everyone was getting off. Looks like it was time to switch buses. After I figured out that I was in North Carolina, I looked at the departure schedule. I bought a ticket for a bus headed to New York City. That's a big place, a lot of bus stations and subways. I could arrive in one part of town, take a subway to the opposite part of town, and get a ticket headed for a different state. After that I should be safe to go straight to Washington.

I bought a ham and cheese sandwich from Subway and refilled my water bottle and boarded the bus. For this particular ride, I got to have the wonderful experience of sitting next to and old, fat, drunk guy who fell asleep on my shoulder. Oh the joys of running away...all I could do was remember _why_ I was running away and think of _where _I was running to, and wondering if I made the right decision...

**Review, review, review! Should I continue it? Should I change something? What should happen in the next chapter? Thanks all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, how are you today? Thanks for reading! Hope you like it! Please please please please review! (Did you notice that I'm begging?)**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS HARRASMENT AND MEMORIES OF ABUSE AND SUGGESTIVE SELF-INJURY**

Chapter Three-

Bella's POV

After about two weeks of traveling and $20 left of my money, I arrived in Port Angeles. I had thrown out my cell phone a week ago after getting paranoid one night that Phil would find me. So, I went to the nearest pay phone and dialed Charlie's number, hoping I had remembered it correctly. After a few rings, the old familiar voice answered.

"Hey, Dad." I said "I'm in Port Angeles, I need you to come get me from the bus station."

"What happened to the phone you were using before?"

"I...don't have it anymore..."

"Where are you, exactly?" He asked, not wanting to know the details of how or why I rid myself of my phone. I looked around for anything he might know.

"There is a McDonald's across from me, and a bar called Stanley's."

"Oh, okay, I know where you are now. Go into the McDonald's and wait for me there. It's late and dark, you don't need to be out on the streets."

I said goodbye and hung up the phone and walked across the street to the restaurant. Inside, it was empty except for a middle-aged man with a Big Mac. He looked at me as I walked in a took a seat at a small booth. I set my backpack on the table and pulled out the last of my money. I ordered a double cheeseburger and a Pepsi. I returned to my seat and quietly ate my food. Once I was finished, I threw out my trash. I turned around to be surprised by the old man's face a few inches from mine.

"Now what's a pretty girl like you doin' here this late at night?" I could smell the strong scent of whiskey on his breath. Whose bright idea was it to put a bar right next to a McDonald's? Fast food and beet to go, everybody!

"I-I'm just waiting for somebody." I stammered.

"Oh, there's no need to wait for someone. I got a motorcycle right outside, I could take you home, baby."

"No, thank you." I declined, politely. I tried to get past him, but he cornered me against the trash bin.

"Aw, come on. If you don't want to go home, I could always take you to my place." He was so close his body was almost touching mine. I tried to push him away, but I was too weak. "Where do you think you're going? You can come home with me, we can keep each other company." He grabbed hold of my wrists and would not let go.

"Get away from me!" I struggled to break free.

"Shush, now. Pretty little thing like yourself don't gotta worry. Come on, baby."

"Get off! Let go!" I screamed.

Just then, Charlie ran in the door. "Bella!"

The old guy turned around, dumbstruck. I took advantage of his vulnerability and pushed him away. He stumbled back and fell over a table, causing it to tip and clatter to the ground.

"Get your stuff and get in the car right now!" Charlie yelled.. A few employees came rushing out to see what all the noise was about. I ran for my backpack and bolted out the door. I spotted Charlie's police cruiser and got in the passenger seat. I watched as Charlie talked for a minute or so with the manager, then came out and got in the car.

"Are you alright, Bella? What happened?"

"I'm fine. That guy just cornered me, but I'm okay now."

"Bella, you're not okay. You're shaking, Bella. Look, you're trembling!"

I looked down at my hands and sure enough, they were violently shaking. Charlie started talking more, but it all sounded like a bunch of gibberish. All I could focus on was my hands and how uncontrollable the shaking was. I just wanted it to stop! Why won't it stop? It got harder and harder to breathe, my throat was closing up, like someone was choking me to death. I saw bruises forming on my wrists where he had grabbed me. Memories flashed through my head: strong hands closed tightly around my neck, my small weak hands unsuccessfully trying to pry them off. Violent yelling and glass shattering against a wall, blood everywhere around me as I pulled out bits of that glass from my arm. Cuts lining my arms up and down and bruises lacing around my neck. It was all too much, and all of it suddenly disappeared as fast as it came when I focused on reality. My dad had his arms wrapped around me, hugging me, stroking my hair and telling me I was okay, everything was okay now.

"I love you, Dad." I whispered.

He pulled back and stared at me. "I love you too, Bells."

"I'm okay now." I told him. He looked at me questioningly. "Let's go home." I yawned, realizing how tired I was. Charlie turned the car on. I laid against the seat and closed my eyes as he drove out of the parking lot.

I woke up the next morning, confused about where I was. I sat up and looked around, I was in a full-size bed wrapped in a purple comforter. There was a writing desk against the opposite wall with an old, white computer on it. To the right of me there was a wooden dresser and a closed door. To the left, there was a window letting sunlight shine through onto the bed. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door three times.

"Hello?" I called. The door opened and Charlie walked in.

"Hey, Bella!" He smiled. I sighed with relief and smiled back. He looked pleased with my mood and continued "I, um, enrolled you in the High School. It's Monday, but I completely understand if you want to wait a week before you start school."

"No, Dad. I want to go. Today. I've missed a lot, I should start as soon as possible."

"Are you sure, Bella? You had a long trip and an exhausting night, you should rest today."

"Really, Dad. I'm okay, I want to go. And by the way, what happened to that old guy anyway?"

"The police were called and they arrested him, he's locked up in jail now." There was a worried look on his face. "Why did you run away?" He asked finally.

I looked down at the comforter, hoping he would forget he asked and just walk away, but he didn't..

"Why won't you tell me?" He asked "I can't keep lying to Renee and Phil."

"_Don't_ talk about Phil." I glared at him, he knew he struck a chord with me.

"Why? What happened, Bella? Did he do something to you, to your mother? What are those scars on your arms from? Did he do that to you?" I looked down and realized I was wearing a tank top, the same clothes I was wearing yesterday. It was true, I had nasty scars up and down my arms, some were caused from Phil's violence, others I did to myself.

"Nothing. He didn't do anything. I have to get ready for school now, Dad. When does the bus come?" I asked, dismissing the conversation.

"Well, actually..." He paused "I bought you a truck. Real cheap, nothing extravagant. I know you don't like things over-the-top."

I smiled at him "You didn't have to do that."

"Well, it's too late now." He grinned back.

"Thank you." And with that, he turned and left me to prepare for my first day of school at my new home.

**Did you like it? Could something have been different? Any ideas? What do you think should happen at school, because I'm still a little undecided with all that. And Jacob, how should he fit in to the whole thing? Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, everybody. Sorry it took a little longer for me to update this time. Hope you like this chapter.**

Chapter Four-

Bella's POV

As it turns out, Charlie wasn't lying about the truck he bought me. It was old and beat up, paint chipping off of it and it couldn't go over 55 mph, and that was pushing it. But I loved it, it was _me_, and he didn't spend much money on it, which made me feel better about accepting it. He said he'd bought it off of Billy Black, an old family friend. His son, Jacob and I had been really good friends when we were younger. But I haven't seen them in years. Jacob would be...15 or 16? I'm not sure, it's something like that, though.

I pulled into the parking lot of my new school: Forks High, home of the Spartans. My truck blended in well with all the other vehicles, except for one car, it was shiny and silver, though I wasn't sure what kind of car it was. I was forced to park near the back since I was a little late. The only clothes I had was the very few outfits I had in my backpack, and they hadn't been washed in a couple of weeks. I was able to wash an outfit, but I didn't have time to completely dry them, they were still a little damp. Luckily, it was rainy today which was a great excuse to wear long sleeves. This way I could avoid people staring at my arms all day.

It didn't take me long to find the main office. Inside, there was a very nice lady at the front desk. She gave me my class schedule and a map of the school. Great, I get to stand out as the new girl who transferred in the middle of the year. My first class was English with Mr. Mason. I walked in late to class, so it was the perfect opprotunity to point me out to everyone else. He introduced me as Isabella Swan, and I corrected him. There was one empty seat in the front of the class. The boy next to me leaned over and told me his name was Eric and that he'd help me to my next class. I accepted and Eric took me to Government. I had to go through the same name-routine with Mr. Jefferson as I did in English. I had a little bit of trouble finding Mr. Varner's room, but there I met a girl named Jessica Stanley. We both had Spanish next, so she took me there. She talked a lot the whole time, but I listened to the majority of it. She seemed pretty excited for a Halloween party she was throwing in a week, which she invited me to. She also gave me a spot at her lunch table, which I was thankful for so I wouldn't have to sit alone like a lost puppy. At lunch I met Angela and Mike. Mike sat pretty close to me and wouldn't stop smiling, which was a little creepy. I also couldn't help but wonder who this other kid was sitting at a different table. He _glared_ at me like he was angry with me...

Next was Biology. Mr. Banner was somewhat nice to me by not introducing me to the entire class. He just gave me a seat and let me go. When I got to my assigned lab table, I noticed my partner was the boy that sat at the other table at lunch, the one who was glaring at me. He didn't seem to like me here, either. He sat as far away from me as the table would allow and didn't move the entire time, like he wasn't even breathing. So I just ignored him and sat quietly, taking notes.

As soon as gym was over, I almost ran to my truck to get away from that place. Mike would not leave me alone throughout gym, and it was quite annoying. Though he did quickly pick up on how horrible at sports I was, even if everyone else didn't.

When I got home, there was somebody else's vehicle in the driveway. I parked by the curb and walked inside to be greeted by some boy with very tan skin and long, dark hair.

"Bella?" He asked, smiling.

"Who are you?"

Charlie came walking out, then. "Hey, Bells! How was your first day of school?"

"Good." I answered, still staring curiously at the boy.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked, a little dissapointed. "I'm Jacob Black, we used to be friends when we were younger."

"Ohhhh." I realized "Sorry, it's been a while since I've seen you. Thanks for the truck by the way, I love it."

"You actually like that old thing?" He asked in disbelief. I just nodded and grinned. "Do you mind if I go out to look at it?"

We both went out to the old truck and Jake popped the hood and dissapeared behind it.

"So you fixed this up yourself?" I asked, leaning against the passenger door.

"Yep. Cars are my hobby. I'm working on an old Rabbit right now, though I'm searching for a few parts for it. Maybe you could come up to La Push and help me out?"

"My car knowledge adds up to nothing, but I guess I could learn a few things from you." I smiled.

"So, like...why did you come here?"

"Did my Dad tell you to ask me that?" I said.

He smiled and said "Yeah, but I was actually wondering, too. He told us you like, _ran away_ or something."

Just then, Charlie came out the door with a man in a wheelchair in front of him. He must've been Billy, Jake's dad.

"Jake," Billy called "It's time to go."

Jake turned to me and said "You should come visit."

"I will, this weekend." I told him. He smiled and walked off to his car, where Billy was waiting.

I went inside to make dinner for Charlie, opened the fridge and found almost nothing, searched all the cabinets until I came across a box of spaghetti in the back of one. I seriously need to take a trip to the groceiry store. I sat at the kitchen table doing homework, and after a very quiet dinner, went upstairs to get a shower. The water burned my skin and the bruises on my wrists kept getting darker, they were almost black now, it looked horrible against my obnoxiously pale skin. My back hurt a lot and later found more bruises there, too, though I was unsure of how they got there. Maybe being pushed against the trash bin?

The next day of school was easier, now that I knew some people and didn't have my head buried in a piece of paper all day. I was afraid of what to expect from the strange boy in biology. When I walked in, he was talking with Mr. Banner. As I walked past, I caught some of what he was saying.

"No, I'm sorry, I can't move your seat. You'll just have to sit there."

He wanted to move his seat? Did he really hate me _that_ much? What did I do to him? Nothing, I didn't even look at him, let alone talk to him. And I'm almost positive there aren't any rumors about me going around the school that he could possibly hate me for. So why did he want to move his seat? It seemed a little immature, actually.

The boy took a big sigh and turned around and took his seat next to me, clearly unhappy. He sat practically _on_ the window next to our table throughout class. He kept a death grip on the table the whole class. When the bell rang, he almost _flew_ out of the door before I could even stand up. I looked at the table and where he was gripping it, there were little impressions of his fingers. How is that even possible?

The rest of the day was slow, and when I got home, I made a quick dinner and drove to La Push. It was only Tuesday, but I was bored out of my mind already. I pulled into Jake's driveway, hoping I picked the right house. Jake and two other guys walked out from behind the house to welcome their unknown visitor. Jake was tossing an old rag between his hands. He was wearing grease stained jeans with rips in the knees and a plain old red T-shirt. The other boys almost matched him, only their hair was tied back in a low ponytail. Jake's long, dark hair was down. I wondered what he would look like with all of his hair chopped off, but decided it would be weird.

"Bella?" He said as I got out of my truck.

"Hey." I smiled. I walked to him and hugged him. "I know it's not the weekend yet, but it's surprisingly dull already."

"Well, I'm glad you came." He turned around to the others with him, who were looking me up and down. "This is Quil and Embry."

"You never mentioned your girlfriend." One of them said.

"I'm not his girlfriend." I said quietly.

"This is Bella, Charlie's daughter." Jake told them. "Quil and Embry were just _leaving_."

"What?" The other exclaimed.

"Come on, Jake."

"_Leave._" He said, glaring at them.

"Bye, Bella." The first one said to me. They both walked off, down the road.

"Did I interrupt something?" I asked, wondering if coming here today was a bad idea.

"No, I was just working on the Rabbit. Do you wanna see it?"

"I'd love to." I said. We went to his homemade garage, which was really just a bunch of sheds nailed together. Inside, there was an old rusty metal skeleton of a car. Stray tires were laying about and tools that I hadn't even seen before in my life were all lined up next to the driver's side of the car.

"It doesn't look that pretty right now, but it's getting there."

"You've done this by yourself?" He nodded. "It's great." I went over to sit on a stack of tires as Jake picked up one of the tools and returned to his project.

"So, why didn't I see you at school?" I asked.

"I don't go to that school. There's a school here on the Reservation that I go to." Nobody was talking after that. I could hear the rain picking up on the roof and wondered if there was any leaky spots in the garage.

"Is this all it does here?" I paused "Rain constantly?"

"Yeah, it kinda teases you with the beach." He smiled "And don't forget the humidity that comes along with it."

"I noticed." I said as I took off my jacket. He looked at me and I watched as his face went from pleasant to confused.

"What?" I asked, wondering what was bothering him so suddenly.

"Bella, what happened to your arms?"

I looked down, forgetting they were horribly mutilated.

"Oh, nothing." I said as I pulled them closer to me.

"What are all those bruises from?" He walked closer to me and pulled my arms up, exposing my bare skin to the world. "What the hell is this, Bella?"

"When I got here, I was in Port Angeles late at night and a drunk guy cornered me and bruised me up."

"And the scars? Did he do that to you, too? Or did you do it to yourself? Why are you here, why did you run away?"

I looked up at him and took a deep breath.

**Okey dokey, what should happen here? What should Bella do? What should Jake do? What do you want to happen? Hope you liked it.**

**Oh, and I know things aren't going according to the book, but this isn't the book, now is it? Though I don't own the characters, I do own the plot...well the parts that I made up, anyway.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again, or maybe hello for the first time. Here's the next chapter!**

**WARNING: This chapter contains memories of self injury and abuse.**

Chapter Five-

Suddenly, my stomach flipped and the world around me turned fuzzy. I sprinted outside to make it just in time before I puked my guts out. Jacob came running after me, and once he realized why I fled the garage, held my hair while getting soaked in the rain the whole time. When I was finished, I felt as if my knees were going to give out at any moment, and he helped me back to dry safety and leaned me against a wall. I slid down it to sit on the ground with my head between my knees like I was taught to do in chorus in seventh grade.

"Are you okay now?" He asked as he went to the other side of the garage to retrieve a blanket, he was dripping water. "Here, Bella, you're shivering." I didn't have the strength to reach for the blanket, so I just sat there. "You need to get inside, can you lean forward a little bit?" I did as he asked and he wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and picked me up. I felt the rain pounding on me again as he ran inside, next thing I knew it was quiet and I was being laid on a bed. Jake went over to his dresser and searched through a drawer and got a navy blue T-shirt and black sweat pants. "Bella, where's your phone?" He asked.

"In the truck." I answered.

"Can you put these on while I go get it?" I nodded, he put the clothes on the bed and shut the door on the way out. I put on the warm, dry clothes, hoping they weren't backwards since I was a little dizzy. I laid back down and covered myself with the comforter that was on the bed since the blanket Jake gave me was now wet. Jake returned, still soaked, with my cell phone.

"You have a voice mail from Charlie." He handed me the phone and I listened to it:

"_Hey Bella," _It started "_I just wanted to let you know I won't be home until tomorrow morning, after you leave for school. I have to work the night shift and I'll be in Seattle, love you."_

"Ughhhh." I moaned. "He's gone until morning."

"What? Why?" Jake asked.

"Work." I replied.

"Well, my dad's gone for another two days still. He went to visit Rebecca and Rachel." He paused "It's okay, just...go to sleep, when you wake up you'll feel better."

"I'm feeling a little better already." I said as I sat up, the blanket still wrapped around me.

"Good, then, rest." He started for the door.

"Wait." I said. He stood there, back towards me, one hand on the door knob, he was there a few moments.

"Good night, Bella." He finally said.

He almost had the door closed when I slowly whispered "Yes, I ran away." He opened the door again and leaned against the frame, looking at me, but I couldn't look at him. Instead, I looked at my wrists, laying on my lap, noticing they were still covered with dark bruises, but were yellowing slightly. I traced the white lines, every one of them, starting at my wrist, lacing up to my elbow. "He beat me." I whispered. Jake walked closer to me and slowly sat down on the bed. He lightly took my arm and inspected it. He ran his finger over a scar in the shape of a circle, about the size of a water bottle cap. I vividly remembered the night I did it. It was a burn scar, from one of those cigarette lighters in the car...Jake just kept running his finger around it.

"Every night," I continued, slowly. "He would throw things...a glass vase against a wall, then me, I'd land in the shattered pieces...then he'd kick and punch and cuss and yell." I paused, a warm tear ran down my cheek, down, down, down. I watched it fall onto my palm, then one on my arm, and another on Jacob's hand. He just continued tracing the edges of the circular scar. "Renee never knew anything, she worked the night shift all the time." I stopped, my voice was shaky, I was about to break down and cry and cry and cry, I could feel it, building up inside me, bubbling, stabbing me in my chest, pounding to explode out of me. "He would...he would come in my room late at night and wake me up. And he'd..._force_ me to...to do things with him, no matter how much I argued or fought against it, he'd just do more." Tears overflowed my face, I couldn't see anything anymore and I began to feel weak again. I closed my eyes and laid my head against Jake's shoulder, the tears still spilling over.

"Shhh..." He said "You can stop." His voice was shaky, too. I didn't _want _ to stop, not yet. This was the first time I've ever faced my darkest memories, without a knife. I wasn't done yet.

"Once he was..._finished_, after he was satisfied with himself, he'd leave me alone, to cry, quietly so he wouldn't hear and get upset and come back, I'd lay there alone in the dark, and to stop the crying, to stop the pain, everywhere, inside and out, I'd hurt myself." I paused to somewhat recollect myself so I could continue "One night, I was in my room," I paused, this was getting harder and harder "And I was just so scared, I knew what was going to happen to me that night, I knew exactly what he would do. As soon as Renee left, it would begin. I couldn't just sit there and know what was going to happen and not do anything about it, but I was afraid to do anything about it. He'd constantly threatened me that if I ever did anything, he'd hurt my mother. I was never really sure if he would actually do it or not, maybe he was just lying to get me to keep my mouth shut. He loved Renee, so much, I didn't know if he'd have the heart to hurt her. But I was just so sick of being used every night, and of having to fix myself every night with a blade or a lighter or _anything_ to physically hurt myself. So I packed some clothes and took a few hundred dollars and left. Somehow, he found me, at the bus station in Florida. I was able to get away, after that I spent the next couple of weeks on a bus, up through New York and all over, until I finally made it here, Charlie was the only person I could think of that wouldn't tell anyone I was with him, that could keep me safe. He doesn't even know why I'm here..." After that, I was done. I completely broke down. I was crying so hard and screaming, yelling, yelling at nothing, while Jake wrapped me in his arms and stroked my hair. I knew he was crying too, I could feel him trembling, I could hear him gasping for breath in between sobs. We ended up laying there in the dark, faces filled with dried up tears. We fell asleep, his arms still around me, I felt safe here, protected from anything the world could throw at me.

I woke up the next morning and rolled over and rubbed my eyes, trying to make the black go away that the sudden brightness caused. I opened my eyes, finally, and was instantly confused. Then I remembered what day it was and jolted upright, gasping. I looked outside and saw just how _bright_ it was and realized it had to be _at least _10:00. I figured _Screw it,_ I'm already late, why rush? I got out of bed and opened the door to be met by a stone wall of the wonderful aroma of bacon. I was _so_ hungry. I followed my nose to the kitchen, where Jake was standing in front of the stove in sweatpants, shirtless.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed as he jumped back from the stove. I laughed at his stupidity to cook bacon shirtless, forgetting that it snaps and stings when it hits you. He heard me and looked over at me.

"Hey, you're up!" He smiled.

"Why didn't you wake me up in time for school?" I asked.

"You were _exhausted_. You deserved to sleep in late and play hookey. One day won't hurt." He scooped an egg onto a plate and placed some bacon onto it and handed it to me. "Here," He said "Eat." I took the plate from him and sat at the kitchen table, munching on a piece of overcooked pig meat.

"So..." I started "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Well, what do you wanna do? Just chill out here?"

"I haven't seen much of this town since I was like, 10, you know? Mind being my personal tour guide?"

Jake sat down in the chair next to me with a plate. He smiled, and in a British accent said "It'd be a pleasure, madam." And 'tipped' his imaginary hat at me like a chauffeur. I giggled and took another bite of the crunchy bacon.

"First," He said "We need to get you some new clothes, Charlie's gotta be home by now."

"Oh, Jake," I said "I don't have any money."

"I know." He grinned "My treat."

**Emotional, I know, seems like all the chapters are, sorry. So, there's Bella's story. Now, what should happen next? Should they get caught skipping school or...what? What should happen on their day of touring around town? Please review, they make me happy and want to continue writing, and they can make the story so much better!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so it's been a long time since I've updated, sorry. I don't know how long it'll be before I update again, but I'll try. And I'm getting a little stuck on some parts, so could you please review and help me out? I love hearing from you guys on what should happen in the story.**

Chapter Six-

Bella's POV

"Jake, you really don't have to do this. What I have is fine." I protested, sitting in the passenger seat of my truck, which he had insisted on driving.

"How much did you bring with you to Forks?" He questioned, knowing I didn't bring much.

I hesitated, my answer would prove me wrong. "A few shirts and a couple jeans..." I admitted. "But I have money saved to get some things, you can't spend money on me."

Completely ignoring my pleas, he continued. "So, about three outfits? Bella, that's not even enough for a guy who doesn't care about his wardrobe. And why can't I? You can't go home in Rebecca's clothes."

I had borrowed a pair of jeans and a flannel button-up from some things Rebecca left when she moved, they were a little big, but not much.

"I thought she moved to Hawaii?" I asked, changing the subject.

"She did, with her new husband, but they flew over for a mini-reunion."Jacob explained.

"And you didn't go? Billy just left you by yourself?" I found it odd for Billy to do that.

"Well, he was gonna wait until the weekend, but I told him to go, I'd take a bus or something since I had a 'big test' today."

"You have a test today?" I felt _so_ guilty now.

He smiled and said "No, I just didn't want to spend a whole _week_ there. I love my sisters, but..." He trailed off, not knowing how to explain himself the way he wanted to.

"It's okay, I get it." For the remainder of the car ride we talked about mindless things. He told me about his two friends Quil and Embry, whom I had met earlier, and was life was like on the Reservation, how he grew up sitting around the driftwood fires, and asked if I had ever seen one.

"Why, what's so special about them?" I asked.

"I'll have to show you one some time." Is all he said. Just then, he pulled into a parking deck and paid the toll. When we parked, he got out and hurried to my side of the truck and opened my door. I muttered a "_Thanks_." as he shut the door.

"Jake, you _really_ don't have to do this."

"Bella, I'm doing it whether you like it or not." He said, grinning.

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't win, and that I _really_ needed clothes, and knowing he knew that too. We walked along the sidewalk and entered the first clothing store we saw, which I admit looked promising...

...And it was. I was surprised when Jake faithfully complimented me on each outfit I tried on and he returned the discarded ones to their racks. In just one store, I had already gotten 4 outfits. I _definitely_ am not the kind of girl who likes shopping, but I was enjoying myself for once. Amazingly, I don't think Jake found it as bad as any other guy would. He was happy just to see me happy.

We were in the sixth store of the day when I saw her. She was at the cash register, talking to the employee, handing her a white paper. The cashier shook her head and handed the paper back.

"Um, Jake, I said quietly. "I have so many new clothes now, and it's getting later. Can we get something to eat?"

He looked at me reluctantly, realizing something was wrong, and agreed. I was silent, hiding behind Jake as we exited the shop. When we stepped out the door, I glanced behind me, making sure I escaped unnoticed.

"Where shall we be dining, my lady?" Jake asked.

I shrugged and said "Surprise me." He smiled and we started off down the sidewalk. We didn't walk for long, and we stopped in front of a little place called 29 West Diner, obviously a small family-owned restaurant. We entered and seated ourselves in a red vinyl booth.

"Hello, my name is Selina and I'll be your server today." A blonde-haired woman greeted us and placed two old, yellowing menus on the edge of the table. "What can I get you to drink?"

I looked up at her and said "I'll just have a water."

"Me too." Jake said and she smiled and walked off. We each picked up a menu and silently searched through them. Meanwhile, Selina returned with out drinks. "More time?" She asked.

Jake looked up at me and put the menu on the table. "No, I think we're ready." I answered. "I'll have a chef salad."

"Cheeseburger." Jake said. She collected our menus and returned to the kitchen.

"So, where to after this?" Jake asked.

"Don't you think you've bought me enough?" I asked.

Seeing that I'd had enough of shopping, he nodded and said "Okay."

Once we were finished eating and had made our way back to the truck, it was already 3:30, school just let out. I decided to call Charlie and tell him I would be at Jake's. He went through the normal parent thing, asking if I had homework and blah blah blah.

"Uh oh." I heard him say.

"What, Dad?" I asked, confused.

"Bella, your mother just pulled in the driveway." As he said that, my heart stopped cold. I _saw _her not to long ago, how could I be so stupid and not realize she would go to Charlie's.

"Dad, _please please please_ don't tell her I'm here, especially if Phil is there."

"I can't just _lie_ like that. Why am I lying, anyway? Bella, what is going on?" His voice turned to a whisper as she got closer to the house.

"I'm _begging _you, Dad. _Please _just do this for me."

"I received a missing person report on my desk today for _you_ and I had to throw it out. You have no idea how much trouble I could get into for that."

"Exactly! So if I'm found _here _in your house, they'll know and you could get in trouble. Please, Dad."

He sighed, in the background I could hear a knock on the door. "Okay, fine."

"_Thank you._ I love you, Dad." He just mumbled a quiet _Love you too,_ and hung up.


End file.
